


Full Circle

by Luki



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Gen, Ten Year Bazooka
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-29
Updated: 2015-05-29
Packaged: 2018-04-01 19:33:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4031974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luki/pseuds/Luki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When you have access to the future, you'd be a fool not to use it when it comes to matters of great importance.  And within the mafia, nothing is more important than Inheritance.</p><p>Or, Lambo discovers there's a reason the Bovino shouldn't read the Epilogue first.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Full Circle

**Author's Note:**

> Hitman Reborn does not belong to me.

The Bovino are not a powerful family, but they are a creative one with dreams of changing that.  
The underlings of the small and relatively ignored familia are known for thinking outside the box - creating devices that excel at breaking limits. After decades of obscurity, they’ve finally carved out a niche as excellent weapon and information retrieval specialists. And due no small part to their signature weapon. The 10 Year Bazooka.  
This device was credited as the invention that took them from obscurity, and served them well. Having knowledge of the future, even multiple futures, was nothing less than priceless. As it was, not a single decision was made amongst the Bovino without first having a trip to the future to confirm it.  
And no decision was more important than that of inheritance.  
Of course, at 3 years old, Lambo didn’t know any of this. Only that all the children his age were about to take a very important test, and if he did well, he would become the next head of the Bovino. This was exciting, and he could barely sit still for the duration. He’d already heard the grownups talking, he was almost certain to be picked because he was ‘special.’ Lambo’s parents were no longer here, but they had left a powerful child as a legacy.  
All of the Bovino were circled around a ring, with two bright purple Bazooka’s waiting on opposite sides. His Aunt explained what was going to happen in hushed and excited whispers. Lambo would be placed inside the device, and he’d hear a loud bang. He was going to swap with an older version of himself, and fight another Bovino. The thirteen year old Lambo would be big and strong and have spent 10 years preparing himself for this fight, so Lambo would surely win.  
Lambo wasn’t worried. The Great Lambo could already beat up all of the Bovino children at three. Thirteen year old self wouldn’t have a problem. He was more interested in going to the future and seeing what he did as boss. Maybe they’d all have a party ready for him? With candy and cake!

His Aunt carries him into the circle, and opposite he can see another woman do the same. He recognises the boy, Calfe, from various playdates. He has the usual unruly hair of a Bovino, but in a frightful shade of red. Lambo also knows he cries if you pull on his ears.  
He doesn’t have time to wonder if he’ll still be the same in 10 years, as the lights go out, and he hears the bang echo around him.

There’s lots of pink smoke, and it reminds him of candyfloss. He makes the mistake of sticking out his tongue, and discovers it doesn’t taste like the candy. As such he’s coughing and spluttering as the smoke fades, and doesn’t take notice of his surroundings until he hears a soft chuckle.  
It’s not a party. In fact the room his future self in looks rather boring, and completely unfamiliar. Old and filled with things Lambo can immediately tell are things ‘he’s not allowed to touch’ (there are many such things in the Bovino household). He’s sitting on a plush red sofa, with a coffee table in front of him and another couch opposite, and to his left…  
He follows the sound of the laugh, and finds a brown haired man staring at him. There’s a large ornate desk, and judging from the disturbed chair (and scary number of papers on the table), this room belongs to him.  
“So you really started firing that bazooka this young?”  
Lambo puffs up. “The Great Lambo is not young!” he pouts. “You should say sorry to your boss!”  
He falters a little when the man just laughs, and hesitantly asks.  
“…I am boss right?”  
Because it’s only just occurring to him that the Bovino boss is normally seen behind a desk, not in front of it.  
…But this man can’t be Bovino, he’s not European, and his hair’s all wrong.  
“Sometimes it certainly feels like it” the man replies, sitting down next to him. “I’m Tsunayoshi Sawada, the Vongola Neo Primo.  
…Ohhhh.  
Lambo grins in relief. Now it makes sense. He knows the name Vongola. It’s a Very Important Familia. His future boss self must have been talking to this other boss about something important, which is why he’s not at a party or the Bovino household.  
“The Bovino and Vongola are friends?” he asks in curiosity, and the Neo Primo nods.  
“Oh yes, we’ve had an unofficial alliance for several years” he says. “It going to be made official this year, thanks to you.”  
Lambo is elated. “Really? The Great Lambo is awesome!”  
The Neo Primo then pulls something from his pocket. It’s a candy, in a clear wrapper with a bright purple sweet inside.  
“Here. I was saving them to share with your future self, but you should have one now.”  
He pulls himself over, all but sitting in the man’s lap as he pulls off the wrapper and tries the new treat.  
It’s glorious. It tastes of grapes and sugar and will make his tongue change colour.  
“Lambo loves it!” he squeals, and is elated when another one finds its way into his hands. “I’ve never had grape flavoured candy!”  
“Really?” The Neo Primo’s eyebrows rise. “Oh dear, guess I’m the one that started that obsession. I thought it was you first went to Japan.”  
Before Lambo can question that odd remark, there’s smoke in his face.  
He’s pretty happy with how things turned out. He met an ally, who told him he was strong enough to side with a big important family, and he got to taste a brand new type of candy. Lambo couldn’t wait to tell everyone about his big successes.

Except…when he gets back, everyone is quiet.  
Lambo is on the floor, and Calfe is on top of him. Slowly, whispers start up, and when he looks over at his Aunt, there’s no joy on her face.

All he knows, is that something has gone terribly, terribly wrong…

\--

His future self lost.  
It wasn’t even a close match. He started out strong and then completely crumbled! Calfe destroyed him in the last few minutes, leaving his immediate family reeling and Lambo utterly confused.  
He doesn’t understand why. The Neo Primo said he was responsible for making alliances with Vongola, that he was like a boss to him, how could he lose?  
It’s not just him that takes the news badly. He’s only 3, and doesn’t really understand what’s happening until years later when he looks back, but his Aunt and cousins are pulling away. Already taking care of their own children, they had been happy to take care of Lambo when they’d thought he’d become valuable. Now? He’s just…a burden.  
A loser, a flunky, a no name who won’t help the Bovino at all.  
Overnight he’s gone from the golden child to the black sheep. He doesn’t like it.  
It’s not fair! He’s still the same Lambo! He’s still strong! And durable! And capable of using the patented Bovino HammerHairSpace Gel like no one else his age! There’s no reason future Lambo shouldn’t be just as awesome.

But over the next 2 years, it becomes clear to the boy that nobody else feels that way. Calfe is getting tutors and trainers and everything he might need as the future of the Bovino. Even the Boss, who always used to have time for Lambo, seems to make excuses when the boy wants to visit. The one concession he gets for it is his nanny, a woman of Japanese descent that Lambo received when he insisted on learning Japanese. They humour the request, not sure why Lambo thinks it’s important, but find it simple enough to provide.  
Frustrated, he sneaks into one of the meetings, wanting to see if the Boss was telling the truth about being busy. As it turns out, he was, and Lambo notices the visitor.  
He’s a toddler, but there’s no hiding the respect in the Boss’s eyes.  
The name of the baby is Reborn. Also known as the World’s No.1 Hitman.  
In his room, hyped up on grape candy (his nanny brings it back whenever she goes to visit family), he makes a plan. He’ll sneak out of the mansion, and hunt Reborn down.  
If he can take out the best hitman in the world, the Bovino will see how wrong they are. How strong Lambo is! He knows he can do it.  
It takes some time to get his things together. Most people don’t think much of Lambo anymore, and in this instance, it helps. They don’t notice as he wanders underfoot, listening to the gossip. He learns Reborn is in a town called Namimori, in Japan.  
His nanny doesn’t understand why he’s so elated that night, squealing thank you’s to an unknown ‘Tsuna-nii’.  
With his destination set, Lambo slips out grenades and bullets and anything else that looks particularly lethal and/or shiny to fit in his hair. The 10 Year Bazooka is the hardest of them all, but he refuses to go without one. Future him got him into this mess – it’s only right that future him help Lambo get out of it. Success comes when one of them is left unattended just outside the training room, Lambo has it crammed into his curly locks and legs it down the corridor before anyone notices.  
He never knows for certain, but he’s relatively sure people notice the missing bazooka before they notice the missing him.

\--- 

Luck turns out to be in Lambo’s favour. He’s never really travelled out of Italy before, so he hadn’t realised he needed a special pass to go to Japan. The people at the airport keep watching him too – he’s too young to be on his own, clearly they don’t understand Lambo is a super important hitman on a mission!  
But as it turns out, he doesn’t need the pass. He recognises a woman also flying to Namimori – mafia children are taught to recognise solo Mafioso in case of hits – and he definitely knows the Poison Scorpion because she’s known to work with Reborn.  
He hides in her luggage, and sleeps in the hold waiting for destiny.

\---

Sadly, destiny sucks.  
Reborn turns out to be as sadistic as he is tough. It’s everything Lambo can do just to get close enough to fire, never mind actually hit the guy!

The biggest disappointment however, is Sawada Tsunayoshi. How can this…idiot, possibly be the cool older nii-san he met? He’s slow, and dumb, and stupid and has no spine and doesn’t give him grape candy!

When he shoots the bazooka at baka-Tsuna’s school, he’s half ready to yell at the older Tsuna for lying to him and for being such a disappointment.  
He’s not there when the smoke clears though. Instead he’s in a garden of a mansion. The grounds are huge, and by the time the pain from Reborn has ebbed and he’s made it to the door, he’s back in the past.  
Future him hadn’t had any more luck than he had against Reborn. Lambo wonders if that Lambo will get someone to fix his wounds once he enters the mansion. Stupid future self.

Then he meets Bianchi in person, and discovers two horrible things. 

One. Bianchi hates his future self almost as much as he does.

Two. Never, EVER eat anything she makes. Even if it’s the colour of grape.

The whole day is a complete wreck, and he’s about ready to give up and go home, when he finds the greatest treasure in Namimori. Nana Sawada, who is the most wonderful person Lambo has ever met. People had told Lambo about his mother, about how kind and loving and caring she was. Lambo had thought his mother was just that special, but clearly, mothers are a very special breed. And Maman loves to pamper children.  
The only frustration is when I-Pin and Fuuta show up. He already has to share Maman with Tsuna! Why more freeloaders?  
But he grows to like I-Pin, who can fight with her feet and fists in ways Lambo never learned – and use that skill to climb cupboards for the cookies on the top shelf. And Fuuta has ranked all of the sweet shops in Namimori, including the one most likely to sell grape candy!  
So although Lambo has never been the type to share, he kind of likes having a few brothers and a sister all to himself.

\---

The ring has half a lightning bolt on it. Lambo loves it immediately – it was clearly made for him.  
He’s less happy when he realises what it means.  
“The Bovino Boss cried with joy when he heard” baka-Tsuna’s Dad tells him as he holds it up to the light and lets it sparkle. “They’re happy to let you take a place with Vongola.”  
Lambo doesn’t quite understand until much later, and Fuuta dumbs it down for him. If he takes the ring, he’ll become part of the Vongola family when Tsuna inherits the throne. By mafia law, he’ll cease to be a Bovino.  
His boss is giving him to another family. Is so relieved he doesn’t have to deal with him that he cried with joy.  
Maman doesn’t know why he crawls into bed with her that night sniffling, but hugs him all the same.

\---

As it turns out, he doesn’t just get to keep the ring. He has to prove he has a right to it.  
Lambo’s really getting tired of having to prove himself. Especially when everyone keeps telling him to use the bazooka.  
The last time he used the bazooka when it was important, he lost his place and his familia. He’s just been adopted into this tiny new one…he doesn’t want to lose it too.  
But the electricity jolts through his veins, screaming and sizzling his skin. It’s too much for him and he won’t make it.  
Future him…might. In a fight of electricity surely his older self can handle it, right?  
He’ll have to, Lambo can’t stay, or he’ll most definitely die. As the bazooka fires, he wishes his older self some luck and hopes he’s gotten further along in his electrical current channelling.  
It’s not raining in the future, and he finds himself sitting at a table in a room with no windows. There’s a small kitchenette to the side.  
There’s pot stickers on the table, though no bowl in front of him. Just as he’s about to reach across the table, a bowl is passed in front of him, and he looks up to see the Future Tsuna sitting down in the chair next to him.  
He’s been to the future a few times now, but never actually seen future Tsuna again. The man is smiling, but it doesn’t reach his eyes, which are full of exhaustion. Given the situation, it’s probably best not to yell at Tsuna for lying to him.  
…Of course, Lambo has never really liked doing ‘what’s best’ when what he wants feels so much better.  
“You lied to me!” he yells, pushing the bowl away and standing on the chair to try and match Tsuna’s eyes. It fails but at least draws the attention of the man in question.  
“…I did?”  
Lambo nods, furious. “The first time we met, you said I was a boss!”  
Tsuna however, just looks confused. “Did I? I don’t remember that at all.”  
The five year old just growls. “When I was three, and used the bazooka for the first time! You sat next to me and said ‘I was like a boss to you’ and I got an alliance with the Vongola for the Bovino! You lied.”  
Comprehension is starting to seep into Tsuna’s eyes, but the reply isn’t what he expects.  
“I’m very sorry Lambo…but the very first time I met you through the bazooka, you were five years old.”  
That makes Lambo falter, before shaking his head.  
“NO! We met before that! We did.”  
Tsuna however, just stares back in sympathy.  
“Lambo…do you know how the bazooka works?”  
The young hitman is a little bit annoyed that anyone would think they’d know Bovino technology better than a Bovino, but he can’t help but listen.  
“You transport yourself to ten years into the future, that’s true” Tsuna explains. “But there’s no guarantee it would be your future you go to.”  
He gives a soft smile. “Think about it. If you travelled to the future, and discovered an event that had happened 5 years had caused a lot of problems, you would go back and try to make sure than event wouldn’t happen, right?”  
Lambo nods. “That’s why the Bovino made the bazooka. Everyone knows that Baka-older-Tsuna.”  
Tsuna just chuckles. “But think about it. If you stopped the event from happened, then ten years from then there would be no warning, and the event would happen, removing any chance of stopping it. So really, when you travelled to the future the first time, you ended up in a world that wasn’t yours.”  
…It might just be the electricity from the ring battle, but Lambo’s head is starting to hurt.  
“This is ten years in the future Lambo” Tsuna finishes. “But it’s not your future. And I’m very grateful for that.”  
The boss pats Lambo on the head with great care, and before Lambo can ask what he means, pink smoke fills his vision, and his body screams with pain.

\---

Well, looks like his future self isn’t a complete waste after all.  
He hadn’t won the battle, true. But from what Tsuna and the others have told him, he only lost because the bazooka’s time limit had interfered. The future-future him was a very awesome person.  
Lambo’s kind of elated about that. It’s about time all these idiots realised how cool the Great Lambo was.  
Still…he hadn’t been able to do it on his own. And he soon gets out the final part of the story that Tsuna wouldn’t tell him from Reborn. Where Tsuna had thrown himself into the battlefield to save him. Had sacrificed the Sky ring to keep Lambo safe.  
It’s strange, he’d always considered Tsuna and the future Tsuna to be completely different people. Like the other future Tsuna had said, from a different timeline altogether.  
But for the first time, Lambo looks at Tsuna and sees the resemblance.

It still hurts, knowing that when he’s old enough to wear the ring he hides in his hair properly, he won’t be a Bovino anymore. Not in the ways that matter with tradition. He’ll never be the boss  
But he’ll be a part of a family that wants him. That almost makes it worth it.

\---

_8 years later…_

 

To be honest, using the bazooka had become such a natural thing for Lambo, that his very first trip had almost become a distant memory. Between meeting Reborn and Tsuna, to the extended trip to the future (thanks a lot future self for being so useless you had to get six year old you to fix it!), watching Tsuna break an impossible curse and win Reborn’s eternal debt, the tenth generation finally taking the mantle (as the Neo Primo generation, and finally that title made sense!) and just whenever he tripped and got to have a conversation with his future family (who were starting to get wrinkles, hah!), it got pushed to the back of Lambo’s mind. As it was, when the day came for him to take his first trip back, he’d completely forgotten about it.  
They were spending the summer in Italy at the Vongola Mansion, allowing Tsuna to get to grips with leading outside of Japan. The office he recognises immediately, but doesn’t actually think about the implications. And to be fair, he spent so many days in Tsuna’s office complaining about the general state of everything (his horns were making his hair frizz, I-pin was ignoring him for the new transfer from Russia, Reborn had grown 3 more inches to his 2, Gokudera wouldn’t give him the name of his tailor, yadda yadda yadda), that he didn’t think twice about slumping on the sofa and giving Tsuna much desired distraction from his paperwork. He perks up a bit when Tsuna mentions the Bovino and officially marking their alliance thank to Lamb…wait-  
He suspects, but it’s not until he hears the echo of a bang and found himself enveloped in pink smoke that his brain clicked to the date, and his stomach sank.

The ring was just as he remembered it. So were the people – there was his aunt, and his cousins and grandparents…  
And directly in front of him, Calfe.  
Apparently the other Bovino had given up even trying to tame the Bovino hair, and shaven it close to the scalp. His clothes were black and brown, and from the shape and style, designed for this fight.  
Lambo, having completely forgotten the date, was just dressed in a pair of jeans and a cow print hoodie Haru had made for him last Christmas.  
The people are clearly confused at his lack of preparation, but Lambo doesn’t have time to muse about it. A bell rings from the side, and Calfe lunges for him.  
He dodges almost without effort. Compared to Gokudera and Reborn, Calfe might as well be standing still. As he slips past, he braces and elbow and slams it into the boys back.  
The yelp he receives is a balm that help soothe 10 years of hurt.  
For the next 2 minutes, Lambo dodges while watching his opponent, getting in counterattacks with disturbing ease. He’s trying to tell if Calfe is holding back, keeping his true power hidden for the final.  
It’s becoming pretty clear he’s not.  
He slips past Calfe once more, the punch miles off course, and grabs a pair of horns from his pocket. The other teen is a good fighter, Lambo can see that, but Lambo has travelled to an alternate future, seen people he loves suffer, and trained knowing that if he wasn’t good enough, other people would die for him.  
It’s clear in his movements that Calfe has never fought a battle where failure was worse than death. Neither has Lambo, yet – but he’s knows its coming, he’s seen it. His opponent? Hasn’t.  
Another sidestep, and the lightning in his horns crackle. The openings are obvious, the strength gap massive. All it would take was two steps and a head butt.  
Lambo grins, and prepares himself. Finally, after 10 years he was going to prove everyone wrong. He wasn’t weak, or stupid, or a failure. He was Lambo Bovino! The Lightning Guard of-  
…of the Vongola Neo Primo.  
His foot stumbles, and he finds himself crashing to the floor, only just turning it into a barrel roll. His opponent is confused by the action, as is the audience, but Lambo isn’t paying attention, caught up in his thoughts.  
That’s right, he’s Vongola, not Bovino. This is a fight to choose the next Bovino head…and he can win it. It won’t even take effort. One move and he’ll change his path – get everything he ever wanted. But in exchange…  
He won’t be sent away.  
He won’t meet Tsuna-nii, or Maman or I-pin and the others.  
He’ll never be given this ring.  
Calfe has recovered, and is heading towards him. Already Lambo can tell he’s gearing up for a kick, and he needs to get up.  
He grits his teeth, and closes his eyes as the kick hits his stomach. Limbs curl up and find him in the foetal position, waiting for it to end.  
And 2 minutes later, it does, and Lambo’s first trip to the future comes full circle.

He’s not surprised to find himself in Tsuna’s lap, and clutches at the fabric of the suit almost instinctively.  
Tsuna’s entire body tenses, becoming aware that something isn’t right.  
“Lambo?”  
The teen looks up, into the worried eyes of the Neo Primo.  
"T-Tsuna-nii..."  
Lambo bursts into tears, hand grabbing the suit jacket and crashing his face into the orange shirt. Taken physical comfort in the man he called brother, and boss.  
The man...he'd just given up everything for.  
What had he done? Everything he'd ever wanted - the Bovino's future had lain in his hands. His powerful, strong, competent hands, and he'd thrown it away.  
Mindless of Tsuna's repeated questions and consoling, he sobbed and clenched his hands tighter. Mourning what could never be.

\---

That past Lambo probably wasn’t him – he knows that. He’s hopped between timelines long enough to understand he could have stormed that fight, while his own past wouldn’t be affected. There was really nothing stopping him from granting that Lambo’s most desired wish.  
But he couldn’t.  
He spent the next 2 days locked in his room, ignoring every knock on the door. By now he was certain everyone had a clue why. His self-imposed exile would have upset Tsuna, which in turn would have upset Gokudera, who would have ripped the mafia world apart to figure out why. From the rather lacklustre attempts to encourage him from outside, the Bovino's tournament and the importance of his first bazooka trip were now common knowledge.  
Tsuna had tried coaxing him out several times, and Lambo figured it would eventually be his boss that dragged him out the door.  
In reality, it was Reborn.  
The only warning he received was the faint cock of a gun before his lock burst inward from the shot and the door slammed open. Lambo winced and risked lifting his sheet. Sure enough, the world's greatest hitman was leaning against the doorframe, watching him with dark eyes. Although not quite fully grown, the hitman had almost reached his full height, beginning to shoot up just as Lambo's own growth spurt had begun (Lambo would damn well swear he'd planned that, the bastard).  
But the hitman was missing his usual smug smile. Instead, his face was blank, eyes staring into Lambo's with what almost looked like respect.  
"Congratulations brat" he began. "You're finally a true Guardian."  
Lambo jerked away. "Shut up Reborn. I was always the Lightning Guardian."  
Reborn made a noise of agreement. "True, but let’s be honest, you've never really taken that seriously until 48 hours ago. Becoming a Guardian means sacrifice, putting your Boss above your own needs. You never really sacrificed anything - you were given a ring, and used the bazooka whenever things got dangerous. You were just a stand in until the real Guardian showed up. And 2 days ago, he did."  
Lambo huddled down, digging deeper. "Just go away."  
Seconds later, a hand clamped around his ankle, and he yelped as Reborn yanked him out, now wearing a much more familiar scowl.  
"Grow up Lambo" he snapped, and it was the use of his name more than the tone that made him freeze.  
"You made your choice" Reborn snapped. "You made it ten years ago, and you've never once been upset about how things turned out. You're making your boss miserable, so get out there and talk to him."  
Lambo pouted. "What if I say no stupid Reborn?"  
Once again, the gun was cocked. "I have dying will bullets cow. If you're so upset, I'll open fire and we'll get this out of the way without any more whining."  
Lambo blanched, vivid memories of Tsuna running around in his underwear screaming his inner thoughts for all the world to see.  
He stumbled to his feet, eyeing Reborn's gun with well experienced panic, and the hitman grinned, his free hand grabbing Lambo's shoulder.  
"That's what I thought. Now, let’s go. Dame-Tsuna has been milking your little breakdown to get out of paperwork, and he's no fun to shoot when he's depressed."

\---

He wondered if Tsuna would ever understand exactly what he'd chosen.  
Doubtful. His older brother had been dragged, kicking and screaming into this world. Thrust into a role hundreds throughout Italy coveted in their own familias. While Lambo had rejected that life…and been let go.  
Not entirely, he figured out as he got older that the Bovino never really left him alone. That Maman ended up getting money from a mysterious source for taking care of him, and sending expensive parcels to whoever was watching him (this one became apparent when a local Italian restaurant insisted on taking him for the weekend, having heard the rumours of what happened when one babysat the young Bovino. They hadn’t needed to buy ingredients for two weeks). But he also realises that if he’d decided to walk out of the mafia completely…they would have let him.

Tsuna never really asks him about it after he’s dragged from his room and forced to confront him, and Lambo is glad, as he doesn’t really have to words to explain it. They only come when he is warned of a visitor, and goes down to see the Bovino Heir at the door.  
They haven’t seen each other in thirteen years, and yet saw each other just last week. Calfe’s now in a suit that probably costs as much as Tsuna’s, while Lambo has traded the cow print for a black sweatshirt. He’s starting to doubt he’ll ever be properly dressed in this teen’s presence.  
They end up walking around the grounds, with Lambo asking the odd question about things within Bovino, and Calfe answering with diplomatic grace. Finally, Calfe stops circling around the question, and asks the one thing he came here to find out.  
“Why?”  
Lambo could play dumb. Force him to spell it out. Why did he throw the match? Why did he choose to leave the Bovino Familia? Calfe isn’t arrogant – he knows full well it should be Lambo in the suit.  
Instead, Lambo looks to the sky and shows mercy.  
“I realised what I wanted, wasn’t what I needed.”  
Before Calfe can clarify, his shoulders slump and he stares the Bovino heir straight in the eye.  
“When I lost, I lost everything. I was always expected to inherit, so when it became clear I shouldn’t, nobody in the Bovino knew what to do with me. The boss was actually happy when I became someone else’s problem.”  
“It wasn’t like that,” Calfe insists. “He just thought you’d be…happier, not being reminded of what you lost.”  
Lambo shrugs. “Maybe, so. But Tsuna-nii, and the others? They wanted me. Even I was annoying and bratty and no use in a fight.”  
He looks down at the ring on his finger, and smiles. “Half the time with the bazooka? Future me was just as useless as the current me. They were fighting opponent’s way too strong for me to handle. But they didn’t care.”  
He holds up the hand to show the ring to Calfe. “I was the Lightning Guardian. Even though they had almost no proof I’d ever be any good at it, that’s what I was going to be. They wanted me even when I was useless.”  
Calfe shrinks in on himself, thinking about the words. “It just feels like everything I’ve done was pointless” he admits. “I spent ten years thinking I was going to become this super powered ultra-boss…only to find out I only got the job because the best candidate didn’t want it."  
“You…you’ll be a good boss” Lambo says, and is surprised the words aren’t as hard to say as expected. “I would have sucked at the whole paperwork and manners part. I’ve seen Tsuna-nii go half mad some days, really not too upset I don’t have to.”  
Calfe gives a half smile, half look of complete resignation. “Yeah, that parts kind of awful. But, really – you don’t have any regrets?”  
Talk about questions you don’t ask time travellers. Lambo has enough to fill a phone book, but that’s not really what he’s asking.  
“I try to think about it this way” Lambo replies. “As it stands, the Bovino have an heir that can keep them safe, and get an alliance with the Vongola Familia. But if I became boss of the Bovino, then Tsuna would need a new Lightning Guardian.”  
His eyes narrow. “And there’s not a single Lightning user in this world I’d trust to keep my big brother safer than I can.”  
He might still be training. He’s a decade away from perfecting his electrical abilities, but when he does, no one will get to Tsuna. No one.  
And that, is something Calfe understands completely.  
“You should come by the mansion more often” he offers. “Even if you’re Vongola, you’re still Bovino to us.”  
Lambo grins. “Guess I’ll see more of you too, what with Tsuna-nii trying to organise an alliance and all. Speaking of which, want to meet him?”  
Calfe’s eyes widen. “Won’t he be busy?”  
“Probably, but that’s never stopped me before. Come on, the two of you can commiserate over paperwork – though if you see a tall guy in a fedora in the room, _run._ ”

\---

It’s true that the 10 Year Bazooka has brought the Bovino great success since its creation. Without it, they could not have achieved the strength they have in such a short amount of time.  
But its only decades later that they finally learn the cost of looking only to the future.  
Lambo, however, chooses not to dwell on it. After all, as someone who spent his life hopping between the past, present and future…  
The future changes, the past is set in stone, and the present remains the most enjoyable time of all.


End file.
